Suzuki Swift Sport vs. Mini Cooper

You don’t need prodigious power or mega money to have serious fun…

On a back-road thrash - which is what we came for - there are times when the Mini's special proportions and suspension pay dividends. Because you sit low, when you hit lumps you're not pitched about so much. Besides, the more sophisticated suspension geometry means that you don't get knocked off-course by bumps and cambers, like you sometimes do in the Swift. That's not to say that the Mini goes placidly over a bad road: the suspension doesn't have much travel, so the ride has to be firm. In the Swift, you're bobbed about more, because you're perched higher. It looks a high, narrow car, and that's sometimes how it feels.

But the Swift is a proper laugh. The steering's very natural in its gearing and weighting, and it gets results. There's not much nose weight to support or torque to transmit, so the front tyres aren't exactly stressed out. So they can nudge it into a corner with playful ease, and the back wheels follow urgently along. It's grippy and sharp and exact. You're always kept engaged, working your course, making sure you're in the right gear to keep the cammy engine on its mettle.